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Trump’s Second Army Secretary Pick Withdraws

Updated 05.05.17 4:15PM ET / Published 05.05.17 3:59PM ET

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Tennessee State Sen. Mark Green on Friday withdrew his nomination to be President Trump’s secretary of the Army, citing “false and misleading attacks” against him for his often incendiary comments on LGBTQ rights, evolution, and Muslims. Green has come under considerable fire by advocacy groups and political figures, both left and right, for his comments such as claiming that opposing transgender equality is part of his personal efforts to “fight evil.” Green has maintained that any controversy over his remarks has been a “false attack” by liberals attempting to cut him down, and his statement declaring his withdrawal focused on that: “Tragically, my life of public service and my Christian beliefs have been mischaracterized and attacked by a few on the other side of the aisle for political gain,” he wrote Friday. “While these false attacks have no bearing on the needs of the Army or my qualifications to serve, I believe it is critical to give the President the ability to move forward with his vision.” Green is the second Army secretary nominee to back out of consideration; Vincent Viola did the same in February, citing difficulty in separating his business interests.